November 27, 2025

Don't Start a Subscription Brand As a Beginner, Do THIS Instead

40 minutes

Schedule a Call to Build & Scale Your Ecommerce Brand → https://www.ecomcapital.com/demo/schedule

In this episode, Sasha Karabut sits down with co-host and media buying powerhouse Hamen Bamba—who has spent over $30 million on advertising and generated more than $120 million in revenue—to expose the biggest mistake most founders make when launching their brands.

They reveal why jumping into a subscription-based model is a guaranteed path to cash flow disaster, and share the proven framework that actually works.

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Connect with Sasha (Host):
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sasha_karabut/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The.Real.Sasha.Karabut/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashakarabut/
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Why you need cash flow when starting out
03:15 - First-time founder thinking that kills subscription models
13:22 - Athletic Greens vs Shilajit: Bulk purchase model comparison that works
16:26 - David Johns' 12-month supply strategy: How to filter customers right
18:50 - Public company subscription disaster: The pet consumables case study that failed
23:42 - Sasha's Bissou shoe brand: $15K spent on subscriptions, zero conversions
29:37 - Grooming Here UK's "hygiene plan" strategy: Transparency vs deception
30:19 - What skills you actually need to succeed with subscriptions
35:16 - Asmin's Tongat Ali brand: $60K/month profit without subscriptions
36:21 - The right sequence: Profitable first purchase → then optional subscriptions

About Ecom Capital Podcast:
eCom Capital Podcast is a show about scaling e-commerce businesses. The host Sasha Karabut talks to successful founders, industry experts and shares strategies on how to build, grow and scale profitable eCommerce brands.

#ecommerce #ecom #onlinebusiness #entrepreneur #business #scaling #shopify #dropshipping #businessgrowth #subscriptionmodel #cashflow #profitability #ecommercestrategy #mediabuying #AOV